advice on framing an painted portrait

Traditionally oil paintings are framed without glass (except when it's required to protect a painting from members of the public!). This is because they need air to 'breathe' - otherwise any condensation will be trapped and could cause rotting in the canvas. Although after a few weeks the paint seems hard and will not come off on your hands if you touch it and it fairly safe to handle with care, it is not considered to be truly dry for many decades, until all chemical changes have taken place.

Therefore if you would prefer to have your painting framed, the glass must be slightly raised from the surface of the canvas. This can be achieve though a variety of methods, such as the use of 'spacers' to separate the glass from the surface (a good framer can advise you on spacers) or with a picture mount (or 'mat') which is more usually used for drawings, pastels or watercolours. For advice on mounts or on hanging an oil portrait or other portrait painting, see the framing a drawing page.

conservation: the do's and don'ts of looking after a painting

Be aware that oil paint can be adversely affected by extremes and changes in humidity and heat.
Do gently dust your painting with a dry cloth, but don't use any other kind of product on it (or near it) If it really needs cleaning, take it to a painting conservator.
Don't hang a painting over a source of heat like a radiator or fireplace.
Don't hang a painting on a newly plastered wall, which will probably still be damp.

a last word....

Of course, you may prefer not to have a painting framed at all! If you choose a stretcher-framed canvas with a bit of a thickness to it (usually half to one inch or so), it's perfectly acceptable just to put it on the wall, for a more modern look. You just need to hook it over a couple of nails.

You can click the link to read more about your canvas options on the oil portraits page.

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